


Life Together

by Genius_626



Series: Not So Single Dads stories [2]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Characters, Date Nights, First Time, High School History Teacher Bard, Hotel Sex, Later Principal Bard, M/M, Married Date Nights, Mature or Explicit? There is sex and fluff, Mostly Fluff, Parents scheduling sex lol, School District Manager Thranduil, Sick Fic, Super cute fluffy married barduil in later chapters omg, Will be adding tags as I go, but we'll see, dad jokes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-05-28 10:00:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6324700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genius_626/pseuds/Genius_626
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Single chapter episodes that take place during or after the story "Not So Single Dads." So mostly flulffy Barduil times</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bard's a little rusty a few months into their relationship and doesn't know how to initiate certain intimacies.

Bard hadn't noticed when he'd become impatient, but there was no denying it now.

Most everything about their relationship had started off slow and had stayed that way because of their hectic schedules and their early agreement not to rush into anything. Somehow, maybe after they’d started doing things as a family, or maybe after Thranduil had stayed over a few nights, Bard had started wanting more. More time with Thranduil, definitely, but mostly more…contact. Physically. He’d gotten used to taking cold showers in the morning to get his mind off of more unsavory subjects before he went to go teach high schoolers for eight hours. It was beginning drive him a little crazy.

His lack of dating experience was made poignantly clear when he realized he didn’t know how to confront Thranduil about this. And even worse, his eldest was beginning to notice.

“Da, should you really be using a knife?” Sigrid commented, inching towards him as if to take it away.

“Why shouldn’t I? I’m making dinner.” He said, although he did stop chopping the vegetables at her request.

“Because this morning you spilled coffee on yourself, when we got home today you lost your keys in the car, and just an hour ago you were staring at your phone until it rang and you made a show of dropping it. I just don’t want you to hurt yourself is all, you seem a little distracted.”

“Hmm.” Bard made a sound. “My mind has been wandering, hasn't it?” He sighed. “I promise I can focus on this, ”

“Sure.” Sigrid said. “And you can tell me all about your boy problems, girl to girl.”

Bard gave her an unamused look as she laughed at him. “You’re lucky I thought that was funny.”

“So you are? Having problems, I mean.”

He turned away from the counter and sighed. “Not really. I’m just…thinking, probably overthinking. I need to talk to him, I just don’t know how to bring...certain things up, I guess. I only ever dated your mother, and it was so easy with her. We were the same age, in the same profession, with the same life basically. I don’t have that kind of foresight with Thranduil and it scares me a little.” Bard folded his arms and groaned. “Am I really talking to you about this?”

Sigrid tried not to laugh. “I’m just relieved that you’re not having a fight or anything, you haven’t seen him in a while and I was worried something happened. Plus, it’s kind of cute seeing you all flustered over someone.”

“Did I just hear you call your old man cute and flustered?” Bard couldn't help but smiled as his eldest looked so pleased with herself. “I’ll get you for that.”

“You should just talk to him. I’m sure he wouldn’t push you away. Whatever this is about.”

“I know, you're right. It’s weird, dating when you’re older, let alone when we both have kids. Learn from me and avoid this if you can.” He said, swinging an arm around her shoulders. “It’s just hard to get together in general.”

“You know I’m down for babysitting, as much as Bain hates when I say that.” Sigrid offered.

Bard nodded. “Yeah, maybe a night out would be good. I’ll see if I can set a date.”

“Make it soon so that I can trust you with making dinner again.”

They set a date for later that week, Friday night at 8pm. Thranduil insisted on making the arrangements at a restaurant Bard had never heard of, which probably meant it was expensive, while Bard secretly made arrangements of his own.

“So.” Bard began. They’d been eating and chatting for the entire meal. “I have a proposition for you.”

“Yes?” The elder man replied, a neutral yet intent look on his face.

“I have to...confess that I may have jumped the gun on something, and you’re allowed to call me an idiot for not just coming out and asking you first.”

Thranduil now looked suspicious. “Should I be concerned?”

Bard steeled himself, wringing his napkin under the table. “...Not unless you think my strong attraction to you coupled with my inability to speak of it warranted me to rent a hotel room so that we could sneak off to after and have a late night is concerning to you.”

Thranduil looked winded by the long statement, but ultimately had to break out into a quiet laughter, a soft kind of sound that made Bard's heart skip a beat.

“My dear, you really are something.” Thranduil said, reaching over the table to rest on his arm. “That’s what all this was about?”

Bard nodded, feeling a weight having lifted off his shoulders. “Mainly. I’ve just been thinking about it for…God I don’t know how long. I didn’t know how to ask you.”

Thranduil's gaze lowered. “I’m sorry if I seem distant.”

“No, no, it’s not you, it’s me. I’m so completely inexperienced that I second guessed myself. I didn’t want to look naive.”

“Please, Bard, darling, I want to always be someone you can talk to, about anything. Even about the level of intimacy in our relationship, as crazy as that sounds.”

“I know, I know, you’ve made it very clear that you’d never judge me, many times. But I’m nervous.”

“That’s very understandable. We can talk more about this once we’re in private.”

Bard smiled wide. “Not until after dessert.”

“Of course not.”

…

Bard had imagined his first time with Thranduil countless times now. He’d researched on what supplies to get, what most men liked, how to do certain things and why, etc. He hadn’t been sexually active in years, and he’d only ever been with his wife, so the newness of this had been quite daunting. He’d pictured what Thranduil would look like above him, rocking into him, making love to him, but reality served to be far superior to his feeble imagination.

He’d surprised Thranduil by saying he wanted to bottom, let alone that he’d been dreaming about it. His lover made it very clear that they would go slow, and started off by making Bard feel very relaxed, ravishing him with a kind of grace Bard didn’t think possible.

“I’ve seen you naked,” Thranduil said, “but you can’t imagine how long I’ve wanted to undress you.”

The elder man’s hands were working on the button’s of Bard’s shirt, while Bard tried to look somewhat less lightheaded than he felt, his fingers grasping at the belt loops in his partner’s dress pants. Thranduil’s words melted him a bit further, remembering the few nights they had spent together in his bed. They hadn’t done anything further then kiss, and on one occasion there was a few morning blow jobs, though Bard was still learning. They’d mostly just enjoyed spending the time together.

Now, Bard’s shirt was on the floor and a pair of strong hands was undoing the front of his pants. Thranduil’s lips were on his in a languid kiss before they traveled down his neck. His pants slid down his legs easily and he stepped out of them and further into Thranduil’s embrace. Bard tried his best not to claw at the other’s clothing to much, eventually getting his fingers to the buttons of his shirt, Thranduil’s lips still hot on his sensitive skin.

Thranduil now had one hand threaded in the wisps of Bard’s hair at the back of his neck, while the other was moving down his spine, fingers dipping past the waistband of his shorts and pulling them closer together. Bard had managed to get Thranduil’s trousers down, now Bard hands were gripping at the man’s back, letting out a low moan as their crotches met, a delicious friction made.

They kissed slow and deep, rocking into each other until Thranduil pulled back slightly to guide the shorter man into bed with him. They lay on their sides, immediately returning to their task of getting as close as they could still with their boxers and undershirts. Bard hiked a leg over Thranduil’s hip and thrust, swallowing a moan coming from the other man and feeling bolder when Thranduil ran a hand up his leg. That hand went up and down, almost in a rhythm as they continued to kiss, breathing each other in. Bard tried not to freeze when his partner grew nearer his entrance, lightly teasing the place no one else had touched like this before.

“You’re ok? Thranduil asked.

Bard nodded, dragging him back into a long kiss.

“Can we...”

“Lie back.” Thranduil said, pulling back again.

Bard did so, only a little surprised when all Thranduil did was drape himself over and cover his collar bone in kisses. He moved down, lavishing his nipples, something he found he enjoyed under Thranduil’s practiced touch. He went further, hands massaging his sides, then his hips, his legs. Before reaching his destination, he moved away to take the lube Bard had brought.

“This is going to feel odd, at first. Trust me, and tell me if it hurts. Tell me if you need us to stop.” Thranduil warned.

“I trust you.”

Spreading Bard’s legs wider then he ever thought he had before, Thranduil reached for his hand, bracing it tight as the other eased around his entrance. Soon, Thranduil’s mouth was on his again, this time on his cock, and two amazing sensations were happening all at once. He squeezed his partner’s hand and breathed out a sigh, getting used to his own noises.

They took it slow, and Bard couldn’t have imagined it being any better. It was almost surreal at moments; there was a time in his life that Bard was sure he’d never be able to do this. There was a time in his life that he was sure he’d never love again. He’s never felt better about being wrong.

Thranduil did everything he could to make sure Bard was comfortable, and Bard initially tried not to get too lost in the sensation — at least to stay coherent enough to be able to kiss properly, but Thranduil turned out to know exactly what to do and where to go to make Bard completely useless.

Bard couldn’t remember exactly when they’s checked into the hotel, but they must have taken a few hours because by the time they had both caught their breath and cleaned up, it was nearly past midnight.

“I’m glad I booked this.” Bard said, watching Thranduil tucking in his shirt. He got up, still half naked himself, and pushed his partner’s hands away so that he could button the man’s shirt for him.

“I understand now why you did.” Thranduil said, watching Bard’s working hands. “You are possibly the loudest person I’ve ever made love to. I hope I’ll only ever have to imagine the scarring it would give the children to hear you in the throws of passion.”

“I’ll try to keep it down next time.” Bard said with a smile, finishing the last button and picked up Thranduil’s tie from the edge of the bed, asking without words if his partner wanted it back around his neck. Thranduil gave a nod, half because it completed his outfit, but more importantly, because he loved it when Bard did this for him.

“I wouldn’t want you to keep it down, I quite like it.” Thranduil said with a knowing smirk as he saw the slightest of blushes high on Bard’s cheek. “We’ll just have to make sure we’re alone. I’m sure we can manage it at my place far easier than yours.”

Bard chuckled, finished the tie. “So we start scheduling sex, then? Sounds like perfectly normal parental behavior to me.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I might try to pull you into the laundry room while the kids are playing video games.” Thranduil said slyly, earning another look from his partner.

“Shoot, we have to get going, stop saying shit that’ll only turn me on.”

“I wasn’t even trying.” Thranduil said, and before Bard could turn away to get dressed himself, Thranduil pulled him into a kiss, long and sweet.

They went their separate ways once they reached the parking lot, having met at the restaurant earlier that evening.

“I love you.” Bard said, pulling away from another kiss. He didn’t want to let the other man go, and he wondered how much longer it would take for them to be living in the same space; to see Thranduil’s face every morning when he woke up. A small part of his heart ached to have such a mundane reality again.

“I love you, too.” Thranduil replied, one of his hands at the small of Bard’s back, the other smoothing over his face. “I’ll look at my schedule for next week and make sure to make time for us. Maybe we could all get together for a family dinner one night.”

“That would be great.” Bard said. “We could make it a regular thing.”

“Right. Like our scheduled sex.”

That earned him a fake slap from Bard, although it was more of a playful nudge, really, because there were other people walking past them. Instead of appeasing, Thranduil pulled him in for one last kiss, and he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so sappy. Bard’s hopeless romantic tendencies were really starting to rub off on him after all.


	2. Spring Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When it's spring break and Bard is sick, Thranduil doesn't hesitate to help out. Bard takes some time to think about his past, and where their future lies as a couple

Thranduil was sitting in the living room, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, phone to his ear and listening to ringing for the fourth time in a row. He didn’t know whether to be annoyed or worried, because after over a year of dating, he was used to Bard’s immediate communication. Very rarely was he put on voicemail or made to wait more than a minute for a text back. Today was different, and he couldn’t explain why. It was late afternoon, the first day of Bard’s break, so he should be fairly free and expecting Thranduil’s call. 

Thranduil hung up after he heard the beginning of Bard’s cheerful voicemail greeting again. Looking around, he sighed. The kids were out with friends before archery practice, and he had finished his work for the day, making it very difficult to want to stay in an empty house for the rest of the day. At a loss, he called the Bowman’s neglected house phone, wondering if anyone was even home. Sigrid answered within the first two rings.

“Hi, Ada.” She said, having read the caller ID and sounding happy to hear from him. “Have you been trying Da’s phone?”

Thranduil smiled, she was always so perceptive. “Yes, actually. Is something going on?”

“Nothing much, just that Da’s sick. His phone is probably with him, but I think he’s passed out right now. This usually happens on Spring break, right when he doesn’t have to go to school everyday, his body just shuts down for a week or so.”

“Oh.” Thranduil said, knowing exactly how that felt and suddenly feeling his restlessness turn into purpose. He got up in search of his keys. “You must be busy then taking care of everything.”

“Oh it’s fine, nothing I haven’t done before. Bain and Tilda are easy to look after.”

“I’m sure they are, but would you like me to come over and help? I can get groceries if you need lunch and dinner.” He said, already out the door and heading for his car.

Sigrid tried to refuse, as she could handle things, but Thranduil wasn’t going to take no for an answer, because she shouldn’t have to handle things. He knew that Sigrid must have some AP project to work on due at the end of spring break, and if he couldn’t spend much time with Bard himself over break, then the least he could do was look after his children. 

About an hour later, Thranduil came through the door wth a few grocery bags and a movie or two he knew the Bain and Tilda didn’t own and had wanted to watch. 

All three Bowman’s met him at the door; Tilda hugged him happily, Bain thanked him for the movies, and Sigrid closed the door behind him and helped him to the kitchen, proceeding to ask questions.

"Where are Legolas and Tauriel? Are they busy today?"

"They're busy with a few things until tonight, but if I ask them, they might join us for dinner." Thranduil said, knowing very well that his children would love to come over, as they were quite fond of the Bowman household and spent a lot of time there after school with Bard's children regularly.

"Ada, can you stay with us tonight?" Tilda asked, looking excited. She loved when Thranduil stayed over because it meant they got to stay up a little longer than normal. Thranduil guessed it might also be a relief to her to have an adult in the house that wasn't sick, or at least Sigrid and Bain seemed to be thinking that way.

"I might have to if your father really isn't doing so well." Thranduil replied. "How is he usually when he gets sick?"

"Sore throat, bad stomach, lasts a few days, usually." Sigrid answered. "He doesn't come out a lot because he doesn't want to contaminate anything. He doesn't eat a lot either, but I just finished making his favorite soup, so he might want a late lunch."

"Mind if I go check on him?" Thranduil asked, only leaving the kitchen at her nod. He made his way through the hall and stopped just next to the closed door. It was rarely ever closed, only on the rare occasions where he did end up staying over as to avoid being walked in on. His heart ached a little for his partner, knowing how much he loved his kids, holing himself up like this must make him feel so isolated.

Thranduil entered silently, opening the door slowly and peeking inside to see if his partner was awake or not. There was a lump in the middle of the mattress, a motionless Bard underneath a few layers of sheets and blankets. Thranduil was a little worried about Bard’s position on his stomach, as his breathing sounded labored and it looked like he would hurt his neck if he kept it that way. 

Thranduil didn’t want to wake him, so he stepped in and leaned over Bard very carefully, resting the back of his hand on Bard's forehead to check his temperature. The man's face was half buried in a pillow and his hair was a complete mess. As soon as Thranduil’s cool hand left his heated skin, Bard stirred, his eyes cracking open and focusing on the man leaning above him. 

“Thran? Is that you?” Bard rasped, barely able to grunt out coherent words. 

Thranduil’s hands went to helping Bard roll over, then handed him the glass of water at the bedside table. “They weren’t kidding when they said you were sick. Go back to sleep, or do you want lunch?” 

Bard hadn’t had breakfast, and it wasn’t until Thranduil mentioned food that he realized how hungry he was, so when he nodded, so Thranduil turned and left without another word. 

Bard lied back, trying to remember if he’d called Thranduil, or maybe one of the kid’s had? He looked over to his phone and pressed the lock screen button to see four missed calls. So Thranduil had come to investigate his status as missing. 

Now that he thought about it, Bard thought he’d heard his happy children noises a few minutes ago, he must have heard when Thranduil arrived. His heart jumped at the thought that Thranduil gave them that much joy.

Just then, Thranduil reappeared holding a steaming bowl with one of his oven mitt’s. “Hey, you feel up for soup?”

“I might. Thanks, babe.” Bard said, sitting up as well as he could, thanking Thranduil again when he reached to help him adjust the pillows. 

“Don’t thank me, Sigrid knows exactly what to do in these situations, it seems.”

“She does.” Bard smiled, taking the soup and placing it in his lap for the moment. “I see I missed your calls. Sorry about that.”

“No need, you were asleep. I wasn’t doing anything today, so I thought I might as well help her keep things in order. I would’ve come earlier if you had called.”

“I didn’t know if you were busy or not. And I rarely get sick—”

“Don’t exert yourself. I’ll be checking in on you regularly so that the kids can have the day to themselves.”

Thranduil was more than attentive throughout the day, something Bard realized must have been something of an instinct. He reacted similarly to any kind of illness, even if it was just a cold one of his kids had. Both he and Thranduil had dealt with deadly illness in the family, and terrible heartbreak attached to it. Caring for each other this way wasn’t just a nice gesture, it was a necessary for both the care taker as well as the one in need of care. 

Thinking about the past no longer made Bard’s heart ache as it used to. The past could no longer touch him, not now that his future was so much brighter and his heart fuller. 

Lying in bed, unable to sleep, but too tired to want to get up, Bard thought to himself. He’d noticed years ago that Thranduil no longer wore his wedding ring. It was only shortly after his wife’s death that he apparently removed it, and Bard, at the time, hadn’t understood why. He still wore his ring, he had to move his fingers together in order to feel it. It was a more familiar feeling to have it on then to feel the air on that small strip of skin on his left hand. He’d never asked Thranduil what he’d done with his ring, and he’d never thought of taking his off before, not even when he and Thranduil had started dating. 

He could hear Thranduil talking with the kids, most likely playing a board game or something, and not for the first time had he felt so whole; so much like one family instead of two.

Bard toyed with the gold band around his finger. He really couldn’t sleep now, though his stomach and throat were still very unhappy. His room was stuffy and he wanted some air, so gingerly, he got out of bed and made his way to the living room.

“Da!” Tilda said, twisting from her seat on the coach. “Are you feeling better?”

Bard smiled at his youngest, her happiness infectious. “Slightly, but I’m still pretty much under.”

“Can’t sleep?” Thranduil asked.

“Read my mind.”

“Here, I’ll get you some water.” Thranduil said, helping him to his comfy chair, situating him with an extra pillow and the fluffy blanket they kept draped over the couch before he went to get water. Bard spent some time watching Thranduil and the kids play cards until Legolas and Tauriel got there. They had dinner in the living room and watched a movie, though Bard might have fallen asleep half way through it.

Later that night, Thranduil was sitting on the floor as they both watched the kids play a heated game of Spoons. Bard reached a hand over the chair arm to play with Thranduil’s hair before it settled on one of his shoulders. His partner reached up to link their hands together, fingers entwined. There was nothing but skin to skin, a sensation that he hadn’t felt for quite some time because of the ring he’d decided to remove earlier that day. Thranduil, without looking back or commenting, seemed to have noticed, squeezing his fingers tight. 

“I have a box of her keep sakes.” Thranduil told him later. They were back in Bard’s room, Thranduil sitting up in bed with Bard lounging on him, back to his chest and cradled between his legs. Thranduil’s fingers playing with his thick brown locks of Bard’s hair, which was slowly lulling him back to sleep.

“I put my wedding ring in with her things.” Thranduil continued to explain. “They’re some of my favorite memories, a kind of time capsule. It hurt me at first to even have it, but I didn’t know what else to do. I needed her memory to be untainted, so I didn’t want to wear one of our best memories into my unknown future, in case it got even darker.”

“I never even thought about it, but it was like a weight for the longest time.” Bard said. “If I couldn’t see it, then it was just further proof that she wasn’t with us anymore.”

“She’ll always be with you. Like I’ll be.” Thranduil said, lowering his head and kissing just above Bard’s ear. “Sleep, my love. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

So Bard slept peacefully in his partner’s arms, sure that they’d share this feeling for years to come.


	3. Two Parents Are Better Than One?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place three years into Thranduil and Bard's relationship. With Thranduil's kids graduated and moved out, he takes up some parental responsibility at the Bowman residence

Throughout the first few years of his relationship with Bard, Thranduil became more and more involved with the families inter-workings. He now spent the majority of his time in the Bowman household, solidifying his place as the non-official-but-pretty-much-official step dad.

"It sounds like he's practically moved in already." Bilbo said. He and Bard met every once in a while for coffee. Bard appreciated having a friend whom he could confide in, especially one who understood his life as a parental guardian and a partner.

"Yeah, but I'd like it to be official eventually, if only for the kid's sake." Bard said.

Bilbo squinted and put his cup down on the table. "Do you mean official living arrangements or, like, marriage official?"

"No - not that." Bard sputtered. "Neither of us know when we want to do _that_. We've been together three years and I still haven't come out to most people. What do you think it would look like if I just showed up to work one day with a ring on my left hand and someone asked me who the lucky woman was and I said 'Nope, I married a man, I'm super bi, see you later?'"

"I don't think you need to worry about it." Bilbo said, chuckling to himself. "You can try telling everyone that Thranduil's a woman, I'm sure at least some of them will fall for it."

Bard didn't resist shoving Bilbo's shoulder for that comment, which nearly had him spill his coffee.

Turns out that coming out to some of his colleagues had turned out even more ridiculous then he'd imagined.

Bard hadn’t needed Thranduil to go to this PTA meeting, hadn’t even asked him. It had come up in conversation that the monthly meeting was coming up and Thranduil had offered to go with him. At this point in their relationship, they did a lot more together then apart, especially when it came to providing for the kids. Bard didn’t think anything of it until he remembered that most of his peers didn’t know anything about his sexuality, or about his recent romantic developments.

“These are your friends, aren’t they?” Thranduil said when Bard had voiced his mild concern with maybe having to come out to his peers. When Bard nodded, Thranduil continued. “Are you worried that they’ll think less of you because of our relationship?”

“No, no, I don’t think so. It’s just I don’t really talk about my personal life with any of them, nothing other then about the kids. I never had reason to bring it up.” Bard sighed heavily. “I don’t think I should have to come out, it’s really not a big deal, or at least it shouldn't be.”

Thranduil gave him a sly smirk. “Well, this should be fun.”

They’d entered the classroom together, and many of the parents greeted him like they normally did. Most didn’t know Thranduil and some introduced themselves to him kindly without asking why he was there, assuming he was a new parent, which wasn’t exactly wrong. A few of them, however, knew exactly who he was and looked surprised to have a district manager at their meeting.

Whilst Bard had decided to keep his outward affections rated PG for the sake of simplicity, Thranduil seemed to have other plans. They sat close together and Thranduil reached out to touch him every now and again, playing with his hair, fixing the collar on his shirt, leaning into him, everything that indicated that they were very comfortable in their physical relationship.

“You know that half of the women here want a piece of you, right?” Thranduil said to his partner during the meeting. He’d leaned forward in his chair, having taken the seat behind Bard, and whispered it to him as if they were flirting and back in junior high themselves. Bard shivered and refrained from swatting at his partner, trying not to gain unwanted attention. Thranduil was usually very professional in public, where was this behavior coming from?

Bard knew how oblivious he was to anyone’s advancements towards him, Thranduil had pointed this out to him on quite a few occasions. It surprised him the first time one of his friends had called him the “hot dad” of the PTA, but he didn’t dare think any of the single parents were legitimately interested in him.

Apparently, to Thranduil’s all seeing eye and to his great amusement, Bard had been gravely mistaken.

The meeting progressed slowly. Tilda’s class was in need of a fundraiser in order to put on the annual fall play, and of course Thranduil knew exactly how to go about it. As he stood and was firing away ideas and giving suggestions for organization to the delight of a few vigorous notetakers, Phillipa found her way to Bard and sat next to him.

“You came in with Thranduil, do you know why he’s here? Are we being evaluated? You’re friends with him, right?”

Bard tried not to laugh. “‘Friend’ might not cover it so well. But there’s no evaluation, to my knowledge, he’s just here as a parent.”

“But his kids haven’t gone to this school in ages.” She said. “Right?”

Bard smiled wider and said more to himself then to Phillipa. “Not all of his kids.” He looked at his friend, and seeng the genuine confusion written on her face, he decided to spare her. “He’s got mine to think about now.”

“What? Why?”

“We’re partners.” He said, short and to the point. “We’ve been together for almost three years now. I’m thinking about asking him to move in with us already. Don’t tell him I said that.”

She was quiet for a moment before she let out a breath. “Good god. Some of the single moms are going to be disappointed.”

Bard had to laugh at that. “Thranduil is counting on it.”

By the end of the night, Thranduil had made his way back to Bard and was having even more fun with his affections. He draped his arm around Bard’s shoulders, fixed the top buttons of his shirt, and kept whispering things to him. Bard was now hyper aware of the eyes falling on them around the room and tried to look as professional as possible despite the sudden teenage mindset his partner seemed to have adopted just for the fun of it.

By the end of the night, Bard thought Thranduil had secured himself as both the most helpful person in the room as well as the most childish. And possibly the most gay, which of course wasn’t a bad thing, though Bard hoped he wouldn’t be this territorial at every future meeting.

And just when Bard thought they were home free, Thranduil made a show of kissing him just before letting him get into the driver’s seat of his car, where a good handful the other parents were in the parking lot as witnesses.

“You won’t have to come out to anyone now.” Thranduil very smugly pointed out on their way home.

“Now I kind of wish I had, would have been so much easier.” Bard said, keeping his eyes on the road as Thranduil’s hand went to grasp his knee.

“But not as much fun.”

“Since when did you become the fun one?”

“I’ve always been the fun one.” Thranduil quips, mocking a harsh tone. They both break out into giggles that lasted the whole drive home.

On another occasion, a few weeks after another semester had started, Bard was sitting on the couch, scouring his schedule.

“Tilda and Bain’s Parent Nights' are both on the same night. I'll be working on introducing my own class and Bain can handle himself, but I shouldn't have Tilda go alone, or skip for that matter.”

Thranduil looked up from his book as if he didn’t here the minor distress in his partner’s voice. “And?”

Bard tried not to glare at the other man. "And? What should I do?”

“Simple, you ask me to help.”

“What?”

Thranduil put down his book and turned to look at Bard. “I’ll take Tilda, I’m familiar enough with the junior high staff. I’ve done this before, you can trust me.”

Bard sat back and sighed. “Of course I trust you, especially with Tilda, she’d love it. I just didn’t think you’d be interested, these can be boring.”

“I know, but it’ll help you."

"I used to do this on my own, you know." Bard said after a moment. He wasn't a man who was too proud, but being a successful single parent had been up on his list of his favorite accomplishments.

"So did I." Thranduil said, reaching out to take Bard's phone away from him, placing it on the coffee table. "But you’re not alone in this anymore, unless you’ve forgotten."

"How could I forget?" Bard said softly, taking Thranduil's hands in his own. "I just don't want to burden you too much. What if you leave me for a guy with short hair and no attachments?"

"Please, by all means burden me. And honestly, Bard, you know me better." Thranduil leaned in close, whispering in Bard's ear as he grabbed a handful of his hair. "With a man you just described, there'd be nothing to hold onto."

So that was settled. On the night, Thranduil took Tilda - to her absolute delight - as well as to some of the staff’s confusion.

Elrond, the principal, spotted him first. “Thranduil, how nice to see you here. And with the youngest Bowman.”

“Hi, Mr. Pen." Tilda greeted. She then tuned to Thranduil. "Ada, I’ll go in, I’ll save you a seat.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Thranduil replied, watching her enter before turning back to his long time colleague. “I’m interested in meeting Tilda’s new teachers, I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting a few of them in person.”

Elrond nodded thoughtfully. “I’d heard a rumor that you and Bard were seeing each other, but I didn’t know to what extent.”

Thranduil gave a small smile. “He’s my partner, we decided to split our parental duties tonight.”

“How adorable.” Elrond sarcastically remarked, receiving a glare from the other man.

“Oh shut up.”

“Ok, but seriously, I’m glad. You look happy.”

Thranduil turned to enter the room as the presentation was about to start. “It’s because I am.”

...

"Is it Thranduil who's going to move in with us, or us who's going to move in with Thranduil?" Bain asked one rare morning when Thranduil had actually stayed in his own house for the night.

Bard was at his desk reading through class papers when Bain came in. He stopped what he was doing and looked up. Bard and Thranduil had brought up the idea of moving in together a few days ago, and while Tilda was thrilled and didn't care where they lived, Bain was more cautious of a move. He'd been to Thranduil's place and liked it, but it would be a big change.

"I was going to tell you at dinner what we discussed, but I can see you're eager to know." Bard said. "We think it'd be best for us all to stay here."

"Really?" Bain squeaked. His voice was changing and Bard had to try not to smile. "I thought for sure we'd be moving."

"He's thinking of you." Bard replied. "Since we're already closer to the schools here, and all your friends are on this block or the next. He'll most likely be hanging onto his house and renting it out until we think of some long term arrangements down the line. And honestly, I love this house, all my best memories are here."

Bain's face softened from a post anxious/surprised look to something more relaxed. "Like what?"

Bard got up from his seat, crossing his arms and leaning on the doorframe next to his son. "I carried your mother past the threshold after we bought it. Sigrid's first steps were down the hall when she tried to follow me into the bathroom. You launched your first baby tooth over that same kitchen table, the scratch marks are still there from when you and Sig brought in that ferrel cat. Tilda said her first word out in the yard when the daisies were in the bloom that summer..." Bard trailed off, looking around and seeing far too many memories to speak of. "I'd be sad to leave, but I'm just a sentimental old fool."

"Will you always live here?"

"I can't see why not." Bard shrugged. "Although Thranduil said something about wanting to remodel the kitchen. I'll fight that man off with a butcher knife if I have to."

"I don't know, Da, it could use some work." Bain said, laughing.

"What did I say? I'm sentimental. And don't you dare let Thranduil know you're on his side." 


	4. Sleeping Arrangments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thranduil had never taken a nap in his adult life, and Bard is a bit of an insomniac when worried

Thranduil had never been one for afternoon naps, but after spending enough time with Bard, he’d begun to see the appeal.

On most weekends, Thranduil could find his partner passed out on the couch with either the television still on or a book in his lap. He even did this if the kids were up and about, looking completely undisturbed by the noise.

In the beginning of their relationship, the older man would leave him to it, but as time passed, he eventually had the urge to join Bard.

“You know I’m not actually sleeping right?” Bard had said one day, eyes still closed. “You don’t have to hover.”

“I know that. You're a very heavy sleeper.” Thranduil quipped, apparently having been caught tip toeing around the couch. “I was actually thinking whether or not I should join you.”

It was true. He had no work to do, none of the kids were around, leaving them alone in a silent house. Nothing sounded better then curling up with his partner. So Bard, never one to shy away from the offer of physical contact, held out his arms from his laying position on the couch. Thranduil obliged, and for a few glorious uninterrupted minutes, they cuddled up together before managing to doze off. Being woken up to their kids making fun of their only slightly compromising position was a little less than pleasant, but nothing they wouldn’t be able to laugh about later.

Thranduil had never asked why Bard needed the extra sleep, but now that he knew more about the state of Bard's nights, it was quite obvious. Thranduil had known about the mild insomnia soon after their first date and had witnessed firsthand just how restless Bard could be trying to fall asleep, but now he knew that Bard sometimes stayed up late to work on grading or to work on lesson plans. Bard said he was usually better with Thranduil around, but when Bard was alone with his anxiety? Then there was no stopping his mind from keeping him awake. Thranduil had learned this when Sigrid had gone off to college.

Bard didn't think he could be prouder of any of his children than he already was, but life liked to throw him for a loop every so often just to remind him how wrong he could be. The day of Sigrid’s high school graduation was the start of a rather long transition for the both of them. After the summer was out, Sigrid was off to Rivendell for college, her first and most prestigious choice. Of course Bard was proud that she’d gotten in and had won a good amount of scholarships, but there would always be a part of him that worried.

The first few nights with Sigrid away had been completely sleepless for Bard. It wasn’t that they weren’t in contact, she called at least once a day and texted her siblings. For the first time, she was out of his sight, and although he was never one to bottle things up, it was hard for him to admit how scared he was. He knew Sigrid could take care of herself, but things would be different without her here.

It was difficult for Bard to stay in his room when he couldn’t sleep, which usually meant he’d wander into the kitchen and make tea, try to read, try to work. With the kids upstairs, it was easy to stay quiet and not disturb them.

He'd fallen asleep at the kitchen table one night, probably having only gotten an hour of sleep in before it was time to get ready for school. Tilda had found him there, but hadn’t asked any questions. He made sure to have coffee before driving them anywhere, only a little afraid of falling asleep at the wheel.

“Da, are you not sleeping again?” Bain asked one night before he usually went to bed. It had been five days since Sigrid had moved out.

Bard hesitated, but forced a small smile. “What do you mean?”

Bain wrung his hands together. “I mean, you’ve always kind of been an insomniac, but it gets really bad when…when people leave.”

Bard stared at his son for a long moment, suddenly realizing that Bain had remembered just how he’d grieved for his wife years ago. This wasn’t the same hurt he had felt then, but for some reason, he was dealing with it in the same way.

“I’m sorry.” He said, mostly out of reflex.

“Don’t be sorry.” Bain said. “I just know how badly you miss her. It’s a lot to handle, but she wouldn’t want you to jeopardize your health because she’s away.”

Bard nodded, knowing full well that he could find sleeping pills somewhere and help himself. And he'd been nodding off at work recently. This had gone on too long and it hadn't even been a week yet.

“You’re right. I’ll get some sleep if you do.” Bard said, reaching out to hug his son goodnight.

“I know you hate the pills. Is there anything else that helps you?”

Bard immediately thought of Thranduil, but shook off the idea. “Yes, but…I probably shouldn’t be bothering him at this hour.”

Bain pulled away, making a face, but recovered quickly. “He’s your partner, you’re suppose to bother him at any hour. And I don't know, I can hold down the fort tonight. It’s not a school night, so you don’t have to be home too early. I’ll keep the doors locked, nothing will happen.”

Bard was surprised at the offer, but couldn't just leave in the middle of the night. Sure, Bain was old enough now to take care of things during the day, he was thirteen, which was about the age he'd started letting Sigrid watch her siblings.

"As tempting as that may be, I think I'll suffer through tonight. As capable as I know you are, I would feel terrible leaving you here alone." Bard said. "Tell you what, maybe I'll go in the morning. I'll wake you if I do, so then you'll be in charge."

Bard tried his best to get some sleep that night, and after maybe three hours of lying in bed, then another of leafing through a book and going over next week's lesson plans, it was almost five in the morning. He knew Thranduil didn't have work that day, so he made himself coffee and woke up Bain to tell him he was leaving.

…

The sun had risen during his half hour drive. Bard was now sitting in his car, scrolling through his phone before tapping at the screen to call Thranduil. Bard knew that Thranduil kept his phone on during the night, but wondered if he would even be awake enough to hear it. To Bard's surprise, his partner picked up the phone within the first few rings.

“Hey, what's up?” Thranduil asked, his voice giving away that'd he'd just woken up, but nothing indicating irritation of any kind. He actually sounded quite thoughtful.

“Hey, nothing really. I woke you up, didn't I?" "Yes, but you wouldn't without a reason." There was a pause, Bard could here the sheets ruffling. "Have you been up all night?" "Mostly." Bard replied, defeated. "I’ve been having some problems sleeping. All week actually, and the kids are starting to notice.”

“I'm sorry. Is anything on your mind?”

“Just Sigrid. I guess I’m having a hard time letting her go. I thought that maybe I was afraid of the change, but I think I may be afraid she’ll never come back, or that things won’t be the way they used to be ever again.”

Thranduil sighed. “They won’t be. She’ll come back to you, she always will, but it won’t be the same. I’m sorry, that was cruel of me to say, wasn’t it?”

“No, no, I have to hear it from someone.” Bard said, lying back in his seat. “I’m outside your house, by the way.”

Bard heard shuffling and slight sputtering on the other end of the phone call, making him laugh a little.

“You what—you drove here? It's not even six yet.”

“What can I say, I'm a morning person.” Bard said, laughing at his own joke when he heard Thranduil groan on the other end.

"You're lucky I love you so much." Thranduil said. He was at the door in under a minute, and he spotted Bard’s car in the driveway while still on his phone. “Are you planning on coming in?”

“I thought I’d just loiter, but if you insist.”

When Bard stepped out of the car, Thranduil met him half way and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “You twat. I can’t believe you surprised me like this, it’s a little out of character.” Thranduil said.

“In a good way though, right?”

“Yes, because now I get to have you in my bed all day. I don't think that's ever happened.”

When they got inside and Thranduil shut the door behind them, he turned to Bard and held him close.

"Once you've gotten a good few hours sleep, I'm going to romance the pants off of you. Breakfast in bed, a hot shower, I'll find a movie neither of us want to watch and see where the day takes us."

Bard smiles and pulls Thranduil into a kiss. "Why did it takes us so long to do this?"


End file.
